Confidence vote on election law - govt (2)

Opponents say move affront to democracy

(ANSA) - Rome, October 10 - The cabinet has authorized a
confidence vote on a bill for a new election law, sources said
Tuesday, sparking the outrage of parties opposed to it.
Democratic Party (PD) Lower House Whip Ettore Rosato had said
earlier in the day that he had called Premier Paolo Gentiloni to
tell him that the government should put the bill to a confidence
vote to render less arduous its path through parliament.
"After a meeting of the coalition parties, I called Premier
Paolo Gentiloni to tell him that the opinion of the majority is
that it would be opportune to have a confidence vote," Rosato
said, responding to a question put by ANSA.
"The bill is the fruit of a tough balance between the ruling
majority and the opposition and putting it to secret votes would
put the text as a whole into difficulty".
The bill, nicknamed the Rosatellum 2 after Rosato, would
harmonise the present differing laws for the House and the
Senate.
It would introduce a system that is two-thirds proportional
representation and one-third first-past-the-post system aimed at
favouring the emergence of a winner.
There are fears the next general election, expected early in
2018, could be inconclusive with the current laws.
The bill has the backing of the ruling PD, Silvio
Berlusconi's opposition centre-right Forza Italia, the Northern
League and the small centrist Popular Alternative (AP) group.
But the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) has rejected
it, saying the bill is designed to stop them winning, and some
small groups on the left are also against.
M5S Lower House whip Simone Valente said Tuesday that a
confidence vote would be a "subversive act against democracy,
the freedom to vote and citizens' sovereignty".
"All of this is with the complicity of the Northern League
and Forza Italia which, on paper, are in the opposition, but
actually are part of a big, shameful shady deal against the
public," he said.
Roberto Speranza, the coordinator of the leftwing MDP group,
also warned against putting the bill to a confidence vote.
"Putting the the election law to a confidence vote shortly
before parliament is dissolved (for elections) goes beyond the
limits of democracy," said Speranza.
"We are playing with fire here - a law that takes away the
citizens' sovereignty to choose those elected gets approved by
taking sovereignty away from parliament. I don't want to believe
that it is true".
President Sergio Mattarella, meanwhile, welcomed parliament's
effort to pass a new election law, while expressing no judgement
about the bill being examined, sources at the head of State's
office said on Tuesday.
The president hopes that a new election law is passed with
the broadest possible support and is not making any assessments
about an eventual decision to put a bill to a confidence vote,
which regards the relationship between the government and
parliament, the sources said.